The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), through technical assistance, improve its monitoring and evaluation system which has been developed since 2002.

The Key Project Inspectorate Office (KPIO)of NDRC is working on a computerized key project monitoring and evaluation information system.

The system, once developed, will be used as a real-time monitoring tool for KPIO, which is responsible for overseeing the country's State-funded major projects involving tens of billions of US dollars.

Bruce Murray, director general of ADB's Operations Evaluation Department, said the system should greatly enhance KPIO's effectiveness in improving governance in public sector investments.

He said China has an opportunity to nurture a more results-oriented culture in its public sector investment decision making.

Commenting on China's efforts to build up its evaluation system to monitor State-funded projects, the ADB official said china's evaluation system is very strong on measuring inputs and the construction of projects, it is weaker on measuring development results.

In the 16 years of working and living in China, including as ADB's first country director in China from 2000 to 2004, Murray has inspected many first class infrastructure projects, such as ADB-financed expressways. But many of these highways seemed underutilized with low traffic, he said.

"Once completed, it (China's monitoring and evaluation system) will be one of the most extensive functioning M&E (monitoring and evaluation) systems in the world," said Murray.

"It would certainly be a good success story that ADB's other DMCs (developing member countries) would learn from."

ADB has provided two previous technical assistance grants - in 1997 and 1999 - to develop and strengthen project monitoring and evaluation of Chinese government agencies, including the China Development Bank, China National Audit Office, and the State Development Planning Commission, the predecessor of NDRC.

Murray said. this system will help improve the standard or living of millions of people.

Source: Xinhua